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Nahum 2:12

Old Testament Minor Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Nahum 2:12 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with prey, and his dens with ravin.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with prey, and his dens with ravin.
Nahum 2:12 — American Standard Version

Context — Nahum 2

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
9Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold; for there is no end of the store, the glory of all goodly furniture.
10She is empty, and void, and waste; and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and anguish is in all loins, and the faces of them all are waxed pale.
11Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding-place of the young lions, where the lion [and] the lioness walked, the lion`s whelp, and none made them afraid?
12The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with prey, and his dens with ravin.
13Behold, I am against thee, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions; and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, etc.] The metaphor is still continued; and the kings of Assyria are compared to lions that hunt for their prey, and, having found it, tear it in pieces, and carry home a sufficiency for their whelps. It is a notion that is advanced by some writers, as Herodotusf63, that the lioness, the strongest and boldest creature, brings forth but once in its life, and then but one; which Gelliusf64 confutes by the testimonies of Homer and Aristotle; and it appears from the prophet here to be a false one, as well as from (<261902>Ezekiel 19:2,3) thus the Assyrians made war on other nations, and pillaged and plundered them, to enlarge their dominions,…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Did tear - Formerly fell upon his neighbour nations. His lionesses - Queens, concubines, or ladies in the Assyrian court. Nahum 2:13”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“and filled: Psa 17:12; Isa 10:6-14; Jer 51:34 Nahum 2:13”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification